Most gentlemen wait to get married because they want time to enjoy being a bachelor before taking on the responsibilities of a married gentleman. Baldwin Darby, the Duke of Edmondstone, isn’t one of them. The life of a rogue never appealed to him. He’s wanted nothing more than to fall in love and live a quiet and uneventful life ever since he could remember. It wasn’t by choice that he hasn’t married yet. He’s just not very comfortable around ladies, which makes the marriage mart difficult for him.
So when his acquaintance mentions a sister at his country estate who is ready for marriage, he jumps at the chance for an arranged marriage. He’s been told she is extremely shy and that it takes her time to open up around strangers, so he might find her a bit strange when he initially meets her. But this doesn’t bother him. He’s a patient gentleman and can give her time to get used to him.
What he doesn’t count on, however, is just how strange everything is when he gets to the country estate. There were many things his acquaintance had left out, and it’ll leave him wondering if he made a mistake in marrying a lady without getting the chance to know her first.
*This is loosely based off the Rapunzel fairy tale.
